Senior Collection Development Curator/Archivist, Harvard University Archives, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Posted February 7, 2023
Job Description
Under the direction of and in partnership with the Associate University Archivist for Collection Development and Records Management Services (AUACDRMS) in the Harvard University Archives (HUA), the Senior Collection Development Curator/Archivist (SCDC/A) has responsibility for assessing and developing the scope of archival, manuscript, and published materials documenting and providing inclusive evidence of the work and lives of the diverse individuals, offices, and organizations that make up the Harvard community. These include the personal and professional archives of Harvard faculty, senior administrators, and select Harvard alumni and students; institutional records of enduring value; records of Harvard affiliated organizations; and other historical materials documenting the intellectual, administrative, social, cultural, and creative life of Harvard.
The SCDC/A will be a member of the senior CDRMS team, along with the Senior Collection Development and Electronic Records Archivist (SCDERA), the Senior Records Manager/Archivist (SRM/A) and the Senior Digital Records and Information Manager (SDRIM), and assist the AUACDRMS in overall planning, coordination, policy, and workflow development.
Working with the AUACDRMS, and in partnership with the senior CDRMS team, the SCDC/A will take the lead in determining the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in HUA personal archives collections and institutional records, work to establish practical strategies and priorities for building HUA collections, and develop policies and procedures to carry out inclusive and ambitious collecting goals with measurable results. The SCDC/A will develop and maintain contact and relationships with potential donors and identify archival, manuscript, and historical collections of scholarly research interest for collection and preservation essential to an inclusive, authentic, and complete record of the life of the University.
The SCDC/A will oversee 3 FTEs, coordinating the acquisition operations for personal archives, institutional records, and historical collections in all formats (paper and born-digital), including management of appraising and inventorying collections, noting preservation and conservation concerns, identifying institutional records subject to University records policies, and packing, labeling and transport of collections.
The SCDC/A contributes to the development of exhibition, outreach, and community engagement initiatives to promote and interpret the Archives’ collections, including serving as a member of the Archives’ exhibition team – along with the University Archivist, Associate University Archivist for Community Engagement, and other staff members – and participating in tours and special events, writing articles, and supporting promotion of collections and social media efforts.
The successful incumbent will demonstrate a collaborative and collegial outlook and spirit and strong experience with the following: building and sustaining effective relationships with donors, administrators, faculty, and students within a complex organization; negotiating donor agreements and understanding of copyright, privacy, and other access issues; appraising and describing collections in a variety of formats, including born-digital; developing educational content in support of outreach and engagement; persuasive and diplomatic written and oral communication skills; fostering a collaborative team environment; and commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and antiracism.
To Apply
To view the complete position description and to apply see here.